The Magic Box cover art

The Magic Box Details

1951 DVD Certificate U.gif
  • Rated:
  • 70
  • from 111 members

The story of one of the men responsible for the invention of motion pictures. It depicts his life and the effect of his concentrated passion for photography on it. Read more

Starring Robert Donat, Maria Schell, Margaret Johnston, Richard Attenborough
Director John Boulting
Genres Drama

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The Magic Box cover art

The Magic Box

The story of one of the men responsible for the invention of motion pictures. It depicts his life and the effect of his concentrated passion for photography on it.

Starring Robert Donat, Maria Schell, Margaret Johnston, Richard Attenborough, Robert Beatty, Leo Genn, Joyce Grenfell, Marius Goring, Robertson Hare, Kathleen Harrison
Director John Boulting
Studio OPTIMUM HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Run time DVD: 1 hr 43 mins
Certificate DVD Certificate U.gif
Genres Drama
Language English
Released DVD: 25 Jun 2007
Production year: 1951
Format DVD

  • Critics' reviews of The Magic Box

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  • Written by Eric Ambler as a cinematic pageant for the 1951 Festival of Britain, this tale of William Friese-Greene, the... read more on Time Out

    • Time Out
    • Posted 04 Nov 2008

  • Most helpful member's review of The Magic Box

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  • Rated - 4 stars

    For film buffs only

    This is a excellent portrayal of the pioneers of early cinema if you like photography you will enjoy this film. Try renting The lost world of friese green a documentary filmed by his son in1924

      • A customer from Great Yarmouth
      • Posted 21 Oct 2007 18:30

  • Most recent members' review of The Magic Box

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  • Rated - 3 stars

    Dull, plodding and dated

    Slow and tedious bio-pic of William Friese-Greene, an English inventor - there were others elsewhere: the Lumiere brothers, Louis le Prince, Edison and more - of a camera to shoot moving pictures. It helps to know a bit about the history of photography ..who Fox Talbot was, and so on.

    Essentially, Greene was always short of money, and never stood up for himself or his invention.

    In the second hour, famous faces of the fifties pop up in cameo roles (Michael Redgrave, the back of Dennis Price's head for two or three seconds and a couple of lines, Kathleen Harrison, Eric Porter, Miles Malleson, all the usual suspects (what; no Flora Robson?) and Laurence Olivier, too.

    But, sadly, it could be about anyone or anything which fails: it doesn't grab the imagination; doesn't have atmospheric scenes in old cinemas (unlike, say, 'The Smallest Show on Earth') and is just a long, slow plod to nowhere.

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Rating breakdown

111 Member ratings
  • 100
11
  • 90
6
  • 80
29
  • 70
28
  • 60
24
  • 50
5
  • 40
4
  • 30
0
  • 20
2
  • 10
2

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      • The story of one of the men responsible for the invention of motion pictures. It depicts his life and the effect of his concentrated passion for photography on it....